Okeechobee Criminal Lawyer

Published: February 13, 2014

Okeechobee Campus Counselor Arrested For Sexual Misconduct

A guidance counselor at the Okeechobee Freshman Campus was arrested on February 7 on a number of sexual misconduct charges, including felony charges of using a computer to seduce, solicit and lure a female juvenile.

According to Detective Rosemary Farless of the Okeechobee County’s Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), 47-year-old Brad Guyton Mims allegedly sent nude photos of himself to the victim and also asked her to send him photos of her breasts. The alleged incidents illustrate the increasing risks that using the Internet presents as well as the need for qualified Okeechobee sexual misconduct lawyers.

Texting and Sexting

According to the arrest report, the alleged sexual misconduct began when the guidance counselor began sending a female student text messages. Later, Mims allegedly sent the victim two photographs of his penis, and then begged the girl not to ruin his life by telling anyone about the incidents. Detective Farless reported that Mims had also contacted a second underage female, sent her the same photos and asked for pictures of her breasts.

Multiple Charges

On February 6 at around 11:40 p.m., Detective Farless, OCSO Detective John Fisher and detectives from the Okeechobee Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at Mims’ home. Along with 10 pictures of unidentified girls, the detectives allegedly seized three guns, five grams of a substance believed to be cocaine and 17 crack cocaine pipes as well as a computer. Mims was booked into the county jail the following afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. In addition to the sexual misconduct charges, Mims was charged with multiple counts of drug possession and of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Internet Sexual Misconduct Crimes

The list of charges in the Mims arrest demonstrates the complexity of cases that involve the use of computers and the Internet. When searching for an Okeechobee sexual misconduct defense lawyer, it’s critical to establish whether the attorney has experience litigating similar cases. The Okeechobee criminal lawyer must have access to experts in a variety of areas related to computers, smart phones and the Internet in order to determine whether devices were hacked. There have been numerous incidents where images and data were placed on a computer without the owner’s knowledge.

An experienced Okeechobee Internet sexual misconduct lawyer understands that before a person can be found guilty of a computer crime, it must first be proven that the suspect knew that the improper content was there. An Okeechobee sexual misconduct lawyer with sufficient technical expertise as well as extensive criminal defense experience is best equipped to mount a successful defense.